THE COMMUNICATOR University Baptist Church January 2014 Hattiesburg, Mississippi Guest Teacher: Dr. W. Dennis Tucker, Jr., Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Christian Scriptures, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University. Learn more about our guest teacher, Dr. Dennis Tucker, on page 4 Saturday, January 25 Sunday, January 26 5:00 pm: Session 1 6:00 pm: Dinner 6:45 pm: Session 2 9:15 am: Breakfast 9:45 am: Session 3 11:00 am: Session 4 Sessions 1-3 are in Kelley Hall, Session 4 will be in the sanctuary. More Details On Page 4 Malachi: Preserving Faith in Challenging Times Winter Bible Study 2014 January 25-26 “Come and see.” That is the invitation we hear repeated throughout the introduction to the Gospel of John in John 1:35-51. It is an invitation Jesus issues to Andrew and an unnamed disciple. It is the invitation Philip issues to his friend, Nathanael. And we can imagine hearing a similar invitation as Andrew invites his brother, Simon Peter, to join him in following Jesus. I believe that as we read John’s introduction, we hear that same invitation repeated over our own lives: ”Come and see.” As you read the account of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, come and see who Jesus is and experience the life he is bringing into our world. I am looking forward to the next many weeks of Sunday worship services (between now and Easter Sunday). Throughout these coming weeks, we will have the opportunity to open up the Gospel of John as I preach the text and as we all open our ears, eyes, minds, and hearts to see and experience Jesus. I know this will be a season of growth in my own faith walk as I learn more about Jesus, and I hope it will be for you as well. The Gospel of John is a rich text that can teach us year after year, decade after decade. And as we prepare to experience the Gospel story, I hope that you will consider who you might issue this same invitation to: ”Come and see.” Who among your family or friends, your coworkers or neighbors might you invite to come and see and learn more about who Jesus is? In 2013, we accomplished good work. We updated our website and now have an informative and beautiful web presence. We developed a new UBC logo. We remodeled spaces in our building, especially those spaces where our children come to learn and grow. We launched a fantastic program of Christian nurture and biblical education for our children. All of these were important and worthy efforts. Even so, a great website and updated spaces are not enough to ensure that UBC will remain a vibrant and growing congregation for generations to come. If we want to remain a place where people can come to discover the good news of Jesus, a place where they can come with as little or as much faith as they have, with as many questions as they have answers, then we are going to have to commit to being a people, each of us, willing to issue the invitation, “Come and see.” We all know we have a wonderful church family in UBC. We all also know, I hope, that we have much work to do to invite new generations of Jesus followers into our fellowship. So please, join me in making a commitment to be more like Andrew and Philip in John 1, to be people willing to go out into the community with an invitation on our lips: “Come and see.” Journeying Together, Rusty THE COMMUNICATOR JANUARY 2014 PAGE 2 UBC in Brief UBC Committee Nights are taking place on Wednesday nights, January 8th and 15th. All committee members should have received a letter with their meeting date. If you are not sure what committee(s) you serve on and when you meet, please call the church office. Please note: the monthly Finance Committee meeting has been postponed until Sunday, January 12. The Deacons’ annual supper meeting will be held at the home of John and Gloria Green at 6:00 pm, Saturday, January 11. Deacon officers for 2014 will be elected at this meeting. Children’s game night is Saturday, January 18. Children in grades 1-6 are invited to join us from 5-8 pm for game night at UBC. The Ordination of Adam Rigney will take place on Sunday morning, January 19. Please be in prayer for Adam as he prepares to serve as a UBC Deacon for the first time. Join us March 8-12 as we travel to see how God is at work in the world around us. We will make our way through Alabama to join in dialogue with CBF’s Together for Hope, and see the work that is being done by our neighbors and partners in ministry. From there we will continue on to Georgia, stopping at Maranatha Baptist Church where Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday School—we may even get to see him in action! Continuing on our journey, we will visit and stay at Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village where we will see the homes their organization builds all over the world, learn about the construction of these homes in Habitat’s demonstration center, and experience how people around the globe live and join in volunteer opportunities. We will even visit Koinonia Farms (the birthplace of Habitat), tour the farm and eat a meal with the community there. Sign up now to be a part of this formative experience. Sign-up sheets can be found on the church bulletin boards or you can call the church office to get your name on the list! Koinonia is a Christian farm community founded in 1942 by Clarence and Florence Jordan and Martin and Mabel England. Home of the Cotton Patch Gospel, birthplace of Habitat for Humanity, Jubilee Partners, Prison Jail Project, Fuller Center for Housing and other ministries. Still growing pecans and peanuts, welcoming visitors, and living the “demonstration plot for the Kingdom of God.” THE COMMUNICATOR JANUARY 2014 PAGE 3 Meet Dennis Tucker: Dr. Dennis Tucker is Associate Professor of Christian Scriptures and has been at Truett since 2002. He has served as Associate Dean since 2007. Prior to coming to Truett, Dr. Tucker taught at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, AR, where he served as Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology, and also as Director of External Programs. He received his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition, Dr. Tucker received a Specialist in Education degree in Educational Administration from the University of Louisville. He has completed additional studies at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO. Dr. Tucker is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion, and the National Association of Professors of Hebrew. He serves as series editor for The Baylor Handbook on the Hebrew Bible published by Baylor University Press, and wrote the first volume in the series on the book of Jonah (2006). Other publications include Diachronic and Synchronic: Reading the Psalms in Real Time (London: T & T Clark, 2007), co-edited with two of his colleagues in the Baylor University Department of Religion, Drs. Joel Burnett and William Bellinger. In addition, Dr. Tucker co-authored The Story of Israel: A Biblical Theology published by InterVarsity Press (2004) and co-edited Introduction to Wisdom Literature and the Psalms, published by Mercer University Press. Other publications include articles in Biblica, Vetus Testamentum, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Horizons in Biblical Theology, and Perspectives in Religious Studies. In addition, Dr. Tucker presents papers regularly at the national and regional meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature. His current research projects focus on the final book of the Psalter (Psalms 107-150) and the reception history of Daniel. Dr. Tucker continues to preach and work with churches. He has served as an interim or on staff in churches in Texas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, and Arkansas. He and his wife, Tish, have three daughters: Hannah, Sarah, and Hope. Dr. Tucker enjoys running, taking care of the family horses, and coaching girl's basketball. While not his greatest claim to fame, Dr. Tucker served as Rusty’s Faculty Advisor for his Doctor of Ministry project. THE COMMUNICATOR JANUARY 2014 PAGE 4 Library Spotlight Submitted by Billie Hogan Books Are Here to Stay! When you set foot in a bookstore you will see a display of e-readers of all types, but the rest of the store is covered with hardcover and paperback books. People still cozy themselves in a corner of a bookstore, coffee shop or their own home and read a book. A real book! It’s the feel of the book, holding it in your hands, the sound of the page turning, the smell of it, and being able to see the title on its spine when you place it on the bookshelf. Of course you cannot taste a book, but have you ever hungered for the new release of a John Grisham or Nicholas Sparks’ book? Technology has provided all sorts of reading devices for us to carry with us, but it has not changed the habit of getting a real book from a shelf and reading it! For those of us who are readers, why would we want to change the habit of a book in one hand and a coffee or fruit shake in the other handCa sense of relaxation...a sense of peaceCGrab a book and read! UBC Dinner Groups 2014 If you are interested in getting together with UBC members and friends about once a quarter for good food, fellowship and fun, then sign up for a UBC dinner group. UBC dinner groups provide a wonderful way to get to know other UBC members and friends in a different and casual setting. Sign-up sheets are in the church office. For more information, contact Sherry Laughlin at 601-582-1276 or [email protected]. THE COMMUNICATOR JANUARY 2014 PAGE 5 OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE DEACON OF THE WEEK 5 12 19 26 1 Bryant Myatt 2 John Alcorn 2 Lela Alcorn 2 Pat Hicks 4 Betty Mitchell 7 Sarah Etheridge 10 Jan Davis 13 Tom Estes 13 Sherry Laughlin 15 Hayward Anderson 18 Blake Smith 19 Graham Hales 19 Grace Hightower 23 David Holley 23 Pat Robertson 26 Myra Rachal 26 Sarah Fowler 27 Mary Simmons 28 Foye Kelly 29 Lynda Thoms 30 Leah Henderson LAY READERS 5 12 19 26 Eric Leatherwood Jim and Dee Bishop Martha Ginn TBA Jan Davis Jan Davis Eric Leatherwood Lida McDowell OFFERING COUNTERS 1st Sun 2nd Sun 3rd Sun 4th Sun 5th Sun Peggy and Bryant Myatt Ruth Barton, Shirley McCraw Al Butler, Bill Hughes Sam Clinton, John Alcorn Lida McDowell, Marion Poirier EXTENDED SESSION WORKERS 5 Allison Leatherwood, (Nursery), Christy Thornton (Toddlers), David Walker (Preschool), 12 Myra Myrick (Nursery), Beverly Williams (Preschool), Jenny Edwards (Sunday School Nursery) 19 Lynda Thoms (Nursery), Mary Simmons (Toddlers), Tom Thoms (Preschool), 26 Rosanne Crockett (Nursery), Caroline Nurkin (Preschool) Please check in on your assigned Sunday in the Preschool area so we know you’re here! Have been received in memory of Lorene Estes R. J. Nation Carolyn Snell Doug Rouse Christmas Mission Offerings Alternative Gift Fair: ARC Job Corp Heifer R3SM CBF Global Margaret Lackey Lottie Moon Total $125 480 560 20 2,700 500 565 Sunday Sermon Texts Wednesday Nights 12 John 2:1-11 8 Committee Night I 19 John 3:1-21 15 Committee Night II 26 Malachi with Dennis Tucker 22 Business Meeting 29 The Other 3:16s - Ezra $4,950 THE COMMUNICATOR JANUARY 2014 PAGE 6 THE COMMUNICATOR JANUARY 2014 PAGE 7 3200 Arlington Loop Hattiesburg, MS 39401 Phone: (601) 264-6908 Internet: www.ubchm.org Rusty Edwards, M.Div., Th.M., D.Min. Senior Pastor Kathryn Spangler, M.Div., Associate Minister Taylor Hightower, DM, Minister of Music Russell Lott, MBA, Church Administrator Cade Jarrell, BA, Youth Director Susan Fairchild, MM, Organist Kerrin Hightower, MM, Children’s Music Coordinator Cindy Hinton, Church Secretary Connie Benedict, BS, Financial Secretary Chuck Stewart, Custodian Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID Hattiesburg, MS 39401-7299 Permit No. 277 Return Service Requested